Yggdrasil: the yew that holds the realms
The World Tree
The World Tree grew out of the Lake of Nine and its branches held the Nine Realms. It was said to have no beginning, and it shook when Asgard fell.
Yggdrasil, the World Tree, also called the Tree of Life and Death, was the great yew at the center of the Norse cosmos, whose branches held the Nine Realms and wove their fates together. It grew out of the Lake of Nine in Midgard, and through its branches one could pass between the worlds by way of the Realm Between Realms. Said to lie outside time and space, the tree had no beginning, and it would shake to its roots when Asgard fell at Ragnarok. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
The center of the cosmos#
Yggdrasil was a massive yew tree growing out of the Lake of Nine, believed to be the very center of the Norse cosmos. Its branches interconnected the various worlds, the Nine Realms, and the tree and the lake shared not only a great physical presence but an ethereal connection to one another. In the Realm Travel Room of Tyr's Temple, the brim of the well bore a sculptural depiction of all the realms and their connection to the tree that ran between them. On the base of its pedestal stood three owl-like figures, the central one being the Norn Urd, the bluish shape in their talons representing the burning bridge carried by the gods and used to travel between realms. (God of War (2018))
The tree itself existed in the Realm Between Realms, a space set apart from the worlds it bound together. Within the realms, it offered more than passage. The dew collected from its branches near bodies of water granted lasting vigor to those who drank it, and its crystallized sap was a powerful conductor of energy, exploding when struck with any charge. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
Travel along the branches#
By using Mystic Gateways, a traveler could enter the Realm Between Realms and walk along the World Tree's branches to reach other realms far more quickly than by other means. The path was perilous, however, for to stray from a branch was to be killed at once, unless one carried proper protection such as the Unity Stone. (God of War (2018))
A tree beyond time#
Because Yggdrasil was said to exist outside time and space, no origin could be ascribed to it; it simply was, having existed before the realms themselves took shape. When the giants retreated to Jotunheim, they enlisted Tyr to hide the travel tower among one of the tree's roots, preventing any of the Aesir from reaching their home, a tower that Kratos and Atreus would later return. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
The tree's most dramatic moment came at Ragnarok. When Thor struck the World Serpent Jormungandr a final, fearsome blow on the field of battle, the impact shook Yggdrasil so violently that it splintered, and the serpent was hurled back through time to an age before its own birth, removed entirely from the war. (God of War Ragnarök)
A living presence#
Yggdrasil was understood to possess a will of its own. The squirrel Ratatoskr, who lived among its branches, claimed to feel the tree's intentions, describing a form of nonverbal communication, and noted that it had a bitter temperament, growing impatient when Mimir pressed it with too many questions. The tree was also home to a small variety of its own wildlife, plants, insects, and walking mushroom creatures, all sharing the ethereal blue color of Yggdrasil itself. (God of War (2018); God of War Ragnarök)
Frequently asked questions
- What is Yggdrasil in God of War?
- Yggdrasil, the World Tree, also called the Tree of Life and Death, was the great yew at the center of the Norse cosmos. Its branches held the Nine Realms and wove their fates together, and it grew out of the Lake of Nine in Midgard.
- How is Yggdrasil used to travel between realms?
- By using Mystic Gateways, a traveler could enter the Realm Between Realms and walk along the World Tree's branches to reach other realms far more quickly than by other means. The path was perilous, for to stray from a branch was to be killed at once, unless one carried protection such as the Unity Stone.
- Why does Yggdrasil have no origin?
- Yggdrasil was said to transcend time and space, so no origin could be ascribed to it. The tree had no beginning and simply was, having existed before the realms themselves took shape.
- What happened to Yggdrasil at Ragnarok?
- When Thor struck the World Serpent Jormungandr a final, fearsome blow on the field of battle, the impact shook Yggdrasil so violently that it splintered. Jormungandr was hurled back through time to an age before its own birth, removed entirely from the war.
- Did Yggdrasil have a will of its own?
- Yggdrasil was understood to possess a will of its own. The squirrel Ratatoskr, who lived among its branches, claimed to feel the tree's intentions through a form of nonverbal communication and noted that it had a bitter temperament, growing impatient when Mimir pressed it with too many questions.
Sources
- GameGod of War (2018), Santa Monica Studio, 2018
- GameGod of War Ragnarök, Santa Monica Studio, 2022
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Asgard
Asgard was the realm of the Aesir gods, perched in the crown of Yggdrasil and ruled by Odin from the hall of Gladsheim. Behind the great wall of Hrimthur it stood as a fortress against the prophesied doom of Ragnarok, until Kratos breached it and the realm fell.
Jotunheim: where Tyr hid the last giants
Tyr sealed the giants' homeland away as Odin hunted the Jotnar to extinction. Kratos and Atreus reached it at last to scatter Faye's ashes there.
Lake of Nine
The Lake of Nine was the great central lake of Midgard, ringed by the towers of the Nine Realms and crossed by the World Serpent. It served as the hub from which Kratos and Atreus reached the far regions of the realm.
Midgard: Kratos' home, shaped from Ymir
Odin shaped Midgard from the body of the giant Ymir. Kratos settled there after leaving Greece, and Fimbulwinter later froze the Lake of Nine.
The Nine Realms
The Nine Realms were the worlds of the Norse gods and the countless races who dwelt along the branches of Yggdrasil. From the void of Ginnungagap and the body of Ymir they took shape, and they endured through the fall of Asgard at Ragnarok.
Tyr's Temple: the gate between realms
Tyr's Temple was a magnificent temple in Midgard dedicated to the Aesir God of War, built by all the races of the Nine Realms to allow travel between them. Hidden beneath the Lake of Nine, it was revealed by the stirring of the serpent.
Mentioned in27 entries
Aesir Prison Wreckage: Odin's fallen prison in Niflheim
The Aesir Prison Wreckage was a region of Niflheim formed after Ragnarok, when an entire prison of Asgard crashed whole into the ice east of the Raven Tree. Within its cells Kratos and Freya found the true Tyr, whom Odin had hidden away, along with the tuning fork Sindri used to trigger Hrimthur's Flaw.
Alberich Hollow: tunnel road of the Bay of Bounty
Alberich Hollow was a tunnel region in the north of Svartalfheim's Bay of Bounty, entered from the great wooden walkway above Dragon Beach. Its abandoned dwarven works held half of the seed that opened the road to Muspelheim, a rift into Yggdrasil, and the lair of the dreadful Grim Ormstunga.
Alberich Island: deserted shore of the Bay of Bounty
Alberich Island was a small shoreline in the far north of Svartalfheim's Bay of Bounty, abandoned by the Dwarves and overgrown with dry vegetation. Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir passed its shore during their voyage across the bay, and its heights held a rift in Yggdrasil, the gravestone of a berserker, and a fragment of the Amulet of Yggdrasil.
Amulet of Yggdrasil
The Amulet of Yggdrasil was a piece of jewellery Kratos claimed after slaying the dragon Nidhogg. Worn as part of his armour, it held empty settings into which he fitted enchantments gathered from across the Nine Realms.
Asgard
Asgard was the realm of the Aesir gods, perched in the crown of Yggdrasil and ruled by Odin from the hall of Gladsheim. Behind the great wall of Hrimthur it stood as a fortress against the prophesied doom of Ragnarok, until Kratos breached it and the realm fell.
Aurvangar Wetlands: gateway swamps of Svartalfheim
The Aurvangar Wetlands were the warm, geyser dotted swamps at the southern entrance of Svartalfheim, the main waterway to the Dwarven city of Nidavellir. Abandoned by the Dwarves and infested with Grim and Wretches, they were the first ground Kratos and Atreus walked in the Dwarven domain during their search for Tyr.
Dragon Beach: bone strewn shore of the Bay of Bounty
Dragon Beach was a geyser pocked shore on the eastern edge of the Bay of Bounty in Svartalfheim, scattered with colossal remains and the ruins of an abandoned Dwarven settlement. A dragon that seemed carved from stone waited at its southern end, and the ghost of a treasure seeking sailor lingered on the ledges above its sands.
Duraþrór
Duraþrór was one of the four seasonal stags that roamed the Nine Realms, the Stag of Winter known also as the Thriving Slumber. Honored by the Jotnar, his likeness aided Kratos and Atreus on their passage through the mountain of Midgard.
Freya
Freya was the Vanir goddess of love, war, and magic who married Odin to end the Aesir-Vanir War and was cursed to remain in Midgard. Once the Witch of the Woods, she aided Kratos and Atreus, swore vengeance after the death of her son Baldur, and at last turned her wrath on Odin himself.
God of War Ragnarök Ending Explained: the Full Story and What It Means
The whole plot of God of War Ragnarök in order, then the ending explained. Odin is destroyed, Thor and Freyr die, Asgard falls, Kratos survives the prophecy, and Atreus leaves to find the last of the giants.
Huginn and Muninn
Huginn and Muninn were a pair of ravens who served as the personal spies of Odin, flying across the Nine Realms to bring him word of all that passed. Bound to the All-Father's will and granted speech and unnatural speed, the two were among the few creatures Odin truly cherished.
Jormungandr: the World Serpent of Midgard
Jormungandr was so vast he encircled all of Midgard within the Lake of Nine. Thor struck him so hard at Ragnarok that he was hurled backward through time.
+ 15 more
Get new articles in your inbox
No spam. New lore drops, canon conflicts, and deep dives only when they’re worth reading.
Some links on Lore Fortress are affiliate links. If you buy through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.